Gift Guide :: For The Average Foodie

T his is part one of our four part holiday gift guide. Today’s piece is for your “average foodie.” This is the friend and family member that scours restaurant reviews, enjoys moderate cooking for others, and knows their Mandolin from their Microplane. For them (and for us), we couldn't get enough of these products:

[Photos borrowed from the sites linked below them]

Frankie's Sputino has being adding and adding to their brilliant restaurant empire here in Brooklyn and Manhattan. With their olive oil, the whole country can enjoy their high quality. This oil is definitely a step above most, plus we love the can—perfect for the countertop.

Who doesn’t love cheese? Honestly. Well Murray’s is the authority, and this great package can go anywhere in the country. This selection is perfect to help someone with their holiday entertaining, or just to enjoy all winter long.

Have a friend who is a beer connoisseur and can tell you about every obscure brew you find on tap? Well here is a project for them they probably have yet to experience: affordable and convenient little home brew kits from The Brooklyn Brew Shop are a great project for the beer lover in your life.

Sweet Deliverance is perfect for the very busy New Yorker who still loves to eat at home and enjoy local seasonal produce. This service will pick up your CSA share, prepare scrumptious meals of your liking with these fresh healthy ingredients, and deliver it right to your door. All different size packages are available. A great way to help someone stop and enjoy the season. We all love wine, we don't all know why. Give the gift of a lesson/tasting at Chelsea Wine Vault, and help a loved one expand the palette and learn subtle differences between grapes and regions. The best part is that these classes not only teach you a lot in a short amount of time, but are affordable--as are a huge selection of the wines sold here. We heart Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys, and its author--Lucinda Scala Quinn. She, a Martha Stewart editor, has compiled her favorite home recipes after years of feeding her husband and sons insane volumes of food. Her recipes are delicious, her pictures beautiful, and the graphics and title, perfection. This gorgeous compilation, The Blackberry Farm Cookbook, is brought to us by Chef Sam Beall, and the recipes from his families farm in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. The breathtaking photos and recipes are broken down by season, and utilize many vegetables grown right on the farm. The book also includes personal essays and descriptions of the restaurant's philosophy. A locavore loving must-have. Who doesn't love Jamie Oliver? We love that his books come out so rapidly, because once we have our hands on one, we can't wait for the next. Your average foodie might have already purchased Jamie's America, from September, but probably haven't reached the next step: Jamie's Food Revolution. He is here to help you learn step-by-step ways to make delicious home cooked meals that you can turn around and teach your friends.